Research Coordinator - Agroecosystem Sustainability Center

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign•Urbana, IL

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Research Coordinator coordinates research activities within the Agroecosystem Sustainability Center, serving as a key liaison among research personnel, funding agencies, and university administrative units. By managing these critical aspects of the research enterprise, this role ensures projects run smoothly from a research reporting and output delivery, financial, compliance, and logistical standpoint, allowing faculty and researchers to focus on advancing their scientific work.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in science, liberal arts, or business administration
One year of experience with research coordination in an academic, private, or relevant public/nonprofit environment
Strong attention to detail
Ability to manage multiple deadlines and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment
Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook) and Google products
Willingness to learn University of Illinois and federal compliance policies

Nice To Haves

Three years of experience with administrative management of research projects
Demonstrated experience with budget and project management
Experience with grant submissions and lifecycles
Familiarity with federal grant compliance (e.g., NSF, USDA, NASA) and university financial systems.

Responsibilities

Coordinate the hiring of Research staff, Postdocs, Graduate and Undergraduate students.
Coordinate and facilitate internal communications with university HR, SPA or ISSS on personnel-related tasks such as travel planning, reimbursement, salary, and visa.
Track research project progress and prepare progress reports, and extension request documentation to the funding agencies.
Support to manage project finance and its reporting to the funding agencies in compliance with sponsor and university requirements.
Monitor staffing across the grant portfolio and identify what roles need to be filled to meet project goals.
Assist in planning and coordinating scientific meetings, workshops, and seminars, including logistics, agendas, and materials.
Coordinate procurement and purchasing for projects in accordance with University of Illinois policies and procedures.
Assist in arranging conference and field data collection travel for lab members.
Support subcontract and subaward administration as needed.